Amberpaw
by Skye410
Summary: Amberpaw was a she-cat who was hated by her own clan. With few cats by her side, how will she show her clan her worth? When dreams haunt her and a new prophecy must be fulfilled, how can she save the clans from this unavoidable doom?
1. Allegiences and AN

**Okay, to all of you readers who know this story from another author, I would like to say that Kanshisha Miko had put "Amberpaw" up for adoption and I willingly accepted.**

**I am not taking full claim on this story, Kanshisha Miko started this story, so she has ownership over it. Not in any way will I claim this story as mine.**

**But it's true, I will be the one to continue this story as Kanshisha Miko is no longer wanting to continue it. I have taken the honor of finishing this story for her and I would like to say that I hope you all like the adjustments that I have began in the first three chapters and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

**Thank you**

**-Skye410**

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**Leader: **Cloudstar – White tom with gray streaks

Apprentice: Amberpaw

**Deputy: **Willowheart – dark brown tom

Apprentice: Skypaw

**Medicine Cat: **Snowheart – White she-cat with silver muzzle

Apprentice: Sunpaw

**Warriors: **Tangleclaw – charcoal colored tom with brown eyes

Apprentice: Ashpaw

Streamfur – Light gray colored tom with a white tail

Apprentice: Tinpaw

Silverheart – silver she-cat with one black stripe on face

Frosttail – white she-cat with silver muzzle

Angelfur – very light brown she-cat with with paws

Waterstream – white tom with silver stripes

**Apprentices: **Amberpaw – Amber colored she-cat with amber eyes

Tinpaw – Silver tom with black paws

Ashpaw – Charcoal colored tom

Sunpaw – white she-cat with ginger tint

Skypaw – white tom with gray eyes

**Queens:** Brightflower – Ginger she-cat with brown eyes

Kits: Vinekit and Firekit

Dusktail – honey colored she cat

Minnowheart – Brown she-cat with white ears

**Elders:** Scarclaw – Black tom with scar on his eye

Whitesky – White tom with blue eyes

Cherrytail – Light brown she cat with a dark ginger tail

_**Other Cats in Other Clans or Outside the Clans **_

**Leaders:**

Littlestar - WindClan

Rainstar – ThunderClan

Stormstar – ShadowClan

**Others:**

Dawnpaw: ThunderClan Medicine Cat Apprentice (She-cat)

Twilightpaw: ThunderClan Apprentice (Tom)

Icepaw: WindClan Apprentice (Tom)

Cloverpaw: ThunderClan Apprentice (She-cat)

Lilypaw: WindClan Apprentice (She-cat)

Softpaw: WindClan Medicine Cat Apprentice (She-cat)


	2. The beginning

Chapter 1- Prologue

"_Stick and stones may break my bones, but the glares will always hurt the most."_

* * *

"You are the chosen one," a sweet, melodic voice resonated through my dreams and I saw and imagine of vines, flames leaping all around them, nearly touching them, and blood running down the vines, staining their once green color into a crimson red. The bloody vines were trapping everything, it dripped down into the flames. I pried open my eyes, fear churning in my stomach. I looked around me, the queens in the nursery were all asleep, their kits lying calmly beside them, sleeping soundly, warmed by the chill of leaf-bare. Above the bracken roof of the den, I saw the sun shining, but the wind that blew around the RiverClan camp made the air chilly and my fur began to prickle.  
Like always, I woke up alone and cold, shivering. I had no mother to care for me, and no cat in the clan wanted to take care of me, not even one of the queens.  
I didn't understand, why did all the cats in the clan have to treat me so differently? Each day I got a beating by at least one cat. They all just hated me and I did nothing wrong. I always had scratches on me from my clanmates, I couldn't understand why they treated me like the enemy.  
"Amberkit," a deep voice called out to me from outside the Nursery. A charcoal colored cat with light brown eyes squeezed in, ignoring the prickly branches that surrounded the entrance. This was one of the few cats in the clan that actually cared for me; my brother, Tangleclaw. He was one of the most precious and trusted cats in my life. Along with him was Cloudstar; the RiverClan leader, he had always treated me with kindness, and he showed compassion whenever he saw the scratches I received from the clan. And Snowheart; the RiverClan Medicine Cat. She always treated my wounds whenever I had a run-in with the cats in the clan.  
"Amberkit, are you in there?" Tangleclaw asked worriedly, looking through the dim light to try and find me.  
"I'm here. Sorry, I was a bit dazed," I answered.  
"You're thinking of tomorrow, aren't you?" he asked with a purr.  
I purred in return. Even though that was not what I had been thinking of, I was still excited. Tomorrow was the day that I would finally become an apprentice. I was glad that Cloudstar treated me equally, so I would get my apprenticeship like every other cat. Unfortunately not all the cats in the clan would be happy about it. I was worried that I would be with a cat that hates me, like all the others. Instead of learning to hunt, I'd constantly be learning how to try and defend myself from the blows of my mentor and the other cats.  
But what had I ever done to them to deserve being so hated? I was born without knowing either of my parents, I only had my brother to look after me. And then as I grew up, I was showered in glares and insults. Even the other kits, who are younger than me, insult me. It hurts, the glares and the insults hurt me so much. Each one pierces me so hard. Their full hate poured onto me. Not even the wounds they inflicted on me hurt as bad as the glares or the insults, because the glares and insults dug deeper than any claws or teeth.  
_Come on, Amberkit, don't get like that_! I thought. _Remember; tomorrow I will become Amber__**paw**_!  
"Amberkit, I lost you," Tangleclaw's voice awoke me from my sudden space-out.  
"Sorry," I shook the thoughts away and ducked my head apologetically.  
Tangleclaw purred, but then I saw him frown. "I have something to tell you. Meet me at the river later and we'll also catch something for the clan," he told me.  
"Okay," I nodded. What did he have to tell me?  
"Tangleclaw, where are you?" called a voice and I recognized Ashpaw, he was Tangleclaw's apprentice. He was a couple of moons older than me and he was really hyper. He used to be like the other cats of the clan; hateful and rude. But after he got to know us better, he lightened up and started being really friendly towards us.  
_I wonder what Tangleclaw wants to tell me_, I thought. _It can't be bad, we rarely keep secrets from each other. Unless he has a mate! No... no way, no one in the clan even wanted us around so how could Tangleclaw get a mate_?  
I walked out of the Nursery and decided to go for a walk, not that any cat would care even if they did notice me. Cloudstar would be in his den, Tangleclaw was off to train Ashpaw and no other cats would care.  
"Um, Amberkit?" a shy voice spoke behind me.  
I turned around and saw Skykit, not that he was a bad cat. He was quite the opposite, he didn't hate me like all the other cats, at least I couldn't tell even if he did.  
Skykit was always in the background, no cat really noticed him because he was so quiet and determined to stay out of every cat's business. He was becoming an apprentice too, so he'd be really excited.  
"-you going?" Skykit finished a sentence that I was too dazed to hear.  
"Sorry, Skykit, could you say that again?" I asked.  
"Where are you going?" Skykit repeated his question, his voice a little stronger than before. "You know kits aren't allowed to leave camp on their own."  
"Aw, come on, Skykit," I purred, giving him my super kitty look, it always worked on Tangleclaw. "Who's going to notice? Really."  
Skykit ducked his head and shuffled his paws on the ground.  
"Are you okay, Skykit?" I asked.  
"I'm fine," Skykit replied after a few moments, shaking his head.  
"Okay then," I shrugged it off. "Come explore with me."  
"What!?" he exclaimed, a little bit too loud. "We're not allowed to leave the camp!"  
"Shh!" I hissed, keeping my voice low. "Do you want the whole clan to hear!?"  
"But, we might get into trouble!" he insisted, but he did lower his voice.  
"That's the fun part of it," I purred.  
Skykit sighed. "Fine. But I'm only coming to make sure you don't run into any trouble.  
I nodded, that was easy. I guess Skykit _wasn't_ like the others, he could be really kind and caring. We crept out of camp and into the dark forest.  
After a little while, Skykit became fidgety. "I think we've explored enough. We should go back before any cat notices we're gone."  
"But it's fun out here. Don't spoil it," I murmured a reply as we stalked through the woodlands on the East side of Riverclan territory.  
We continued through the woodland area and we heard a twig snap behind us.  
"IT'S A MONSTER!!!!" I howled and we spun around. Right before us stood...  
Dusktail, Skykit's mother...  
"Skykit, Amberkit!" when she said my name I heard the fierceness of her hatred towards me.  
She grabbed me by the ear in her teeth and started dragging me back to camp, Skykit followed closely behind, his eyes full of worry. My ear hurt like crazy and I could feel the tiny droplets of blood starting to trickle down my face from the fresh wound from her teeth. Dusktail, like all the others, hated me because I had done absolutely nothing wrong.  
We finally reached camp and Dusktail let me go in the middle of the clearing. My ear burned in pain.  
"Amberkit, you treacherous little monster!" her voice shook with anger. "How dare you force Skykit into leaving the camp and going into the woods with you! You could have run into a badger and Skykit could have gotten hurt! Not that anyone really cares for you..." she muttered under her breath.  
"I wasn't forced," Skykit tried to reason with his mother. "I wanted to go with Amberkit-"  
"Don't lie for this _thing_!" Dusktail hissed, her voice sickly sweet as she tried to stay polite to her son.  
"I really didn't-" I tried to say.  
"Silence!" she snarled at me. "You don't deserve to talk!"  
I fell into a crouch, staying low to the ground, my head down and my ears flat against my head in sadness. I feel the grief washing over me, but I didn't let it show. I wasn't going to show weakness to the clan.  
I glanced up and saw Skykit, an apology in his eyes, he wouldn't dare try and say it out loud because Dusktail would growl at him. Then I saw Dusktail raising a paw, claws unsheathed. I sighed, she was going to strike me. I closed my eyes, ready to take the blow and head over to the Medicine Cat Den to see Snowheart.  
_Smack_!  
I heard it, but I felt nothing. Had I grown strangely immune to the pain that my clanmates brought me?  
"Stop!" I heard the low growl. Nope, I would have felt the pain if I had of been struck.  
I opened my eyes and looked up, Skykit was standing over me, his fur bristling. He had protected me, and I saw the scratch on his cheek, blood trickling down and staining the ground where it landed. Dusktail looked utterly dumbfounded, she had hit her own son. I saw Cloudstar leave his den and as soon as he realized what had happened, he fixed Dusktail with a cold gaze.  
"Dusktail, leave," Cloudstar spoke as lightly as he could through his fury. Dusktail look at him as if she wanted to object, but she turned and slunk back to the Nursery. Cloudstar looked at me and Skykit. "Are you both alright?"  
I nodded but gave Skykit a worried look.  
"Amberkit, please take Skykit to Snowheart's den," Cloudstar ordered.  
"Yes, Cloudstar," I nodded and led Skykit across the clearing to where Snowheart had her den.  
"Thank you for before," I murmured. "I'm sorry that you got hurt."  
"It's okay," he replied quietly. "You don't deserve to get hurt for something that you didn't do. It was nothing..."  
We both got checked out by Snowheart and she put cobwebs on Skykit's cheek-wound and the bite on my ear. I heard her mutter something that I did not quite understand; "Lovebirds." But I shrugged it off quickly.  
Skykit went back to the Nursery and I saw Tangleclaw at the camp entrance. He signaled to me with his tail and disappeared out of camp. I quickly ran to catch up to him and I followed him all the way to the river. I was glad he didn't see what happened with Dusktail.  
He sat down at the river's edge and looked at me. "Amberkit," he began. "I think it's time for you to know the truth."  
"What truth?" I asked, sitting down. "Is it what I thought? Do you have a mate?"  
He gave me a look and I realized that I was way off the topic he was on. I dropped it, but I couldn't help the churning in my gut. What truth then? What kind of truth is there that Tangleclaw had been keeping from me?  
"It's about our parents," he meowed.  
"Parents?" I snorted. "Why should we care? They abandoned us, didn't they? Or died, whatever."  
"You don't understand," he sighed. "I'm telling the truth. At the time that you were barely a moon old, I was at six moons. Our mother, Honeyfur, betrayed the clan."  
I looked up at him, blinking. Our mother did what!?  
"She fell in love with a Windclan cat called Leaftail. They secretly had me and you without the clan knowing. At first they thought I was an abandoned Riverclan kit and you, too. When there was a battle between Riverclan and Windclan, our mother left us to fight with Windclan. She betrayed our clan and fought against us, harming many of her clanmates. So now all the cats still hold that grudge against her, but on us. You look exactly like our mother, that's why they use you as the scapegoat. I'm sorry for keeping this from you, Amberkit. But you had to know the truth."  
I stood there in shock for a while and Tangleclaw had a sad look on his face. How could our own mother leave her own clan and betray them? She betrayed everyone, because she had fallen in love with a Windclan warrior. But that was against the warrior code, it's not allowed. But now I understood, I finally knew what the glares were for, the hits... all of it.  
_Don't they know though? That kits are not always the same as their parents_? I thought. _Even so, I'll show them, I'll show them all how wrong they were. My new goal, is to let the clan see that I can be a loyal Riverclan warrior. The best_.  
"Okay. We'd better catch some fish and get ready for my ceremony tomorrow," I meowed.  
"So... You're okay?" Tangleclaw asked cautiously.  
"I'm fine," I replied.  
"I hope you'll be okay after tomorrow," he whispered.  
I wondered what he was talking about. Maybe it was about my apprentice ceremony. If it was, he didn't say it.  
"Let's catch some fish," he tried to act cheerful and we crouched beside the river so he could teach me.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the Riverrock for a clan meeting!"  
Cloudstar's call echoed around the camp and every cat gathered below the Riverrock. "Today we meet for the apprenticeship of three of Riverclan's kits; Skykit, Sunkit and Amberkit. The three of you, please come forward and sit below the Riverrock."  
Skykit and Sunkit made their way to sit below the rock that Cloudstar was sitting on. I had to force my way through the crowd as many of my clanmates tried to stop me. But I didn't care if they wanted me to become an apprentice or not, the time had finally come. No more hiding out in the Nursery having to sneak out to go to the forest, no more being confined to camp to endure the pain of the claws and glares that were scorched into my fur. I was now able to be away from camp and away from the claws and the glares of my clanmates.  
I ran over and sat beside Skykit, my clanmates growled their disapproval.  
Cloudstar silenced them with a yowl. "Until she has earned her warrior name, Sunkit with be known as Sunpaw," he spoke. "Sunpaw has a special place in this clan. Instead of training to be a warrior, Sunpaw will train as a Medicine Cat Apprentice. Snowheart, teach Sunpaw all the skills she will need to be a Medicine Cat. One day she will take your place and will be needed."  
Snowheart nodded and stepped forward to stand in front of Sunpaw. They both touched noses and Snowheart led her new apprentice into the crowd. Sunpaw was excited, I could see it in her eyes, but she tried to look dignified as she followed her mentor into the crowd of cats.  
"Until he has earned his warrior name, Skykit will be known as Skypaw," Cloudstar continued. "Willowheart, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You shall be mentor to Skypaw. You have been a wonderful deputy, and I expect you to pass on all your skills to Skypaw."  
Willowheart stepped forward and touched noses with Skypaw, the younger cat looked nervous. The Riverclan deputy led Skypaw into the crowd to join Sunpaw and Snowheart, leaving me below the Riverrock by myself.  
It was my turn now, but who would be my mentor? Would they shun me like the others? Would they take me out into the forest and attack me? Would I be forced to learn nothing but how to defend myself against not only the other clans, but against my own clanmates as well?  
"Until she has earned her warrior name," Cloudstar meowed clearly. "Amberkit will be known as Amberpaw." This was it. I looked at all the warriors without apprentices; Silverheart, Frosttail, Angelfur and Waterstream. I was sure that none of them wanted to mentor me. "I will take on Amberpaw as my apprentice. I will pass on all the skills I know to her."  
What!? Wow! Cloudstar was my mentor!? I gazed up in shock as he jumped down from the Riverrock and sat in front of me. We slowly touched noses, and then I heard the shouts...  
"No! No, not that _thing_! She can't be mentored by Cloudstar!" one cat called.  
"Does she even have the right to be an apprentice?" another muttered.  
"I think we should cast her out," another cat said.  
"SILENCE!" Cloudstar yowled and silenced the clan. All the cats were quiet and they looked into his angry eyes. "Do you defy my judgment? Amberpaw is like any other apprentice so she shall be an apprentice to a mentor who can treat her fairly."  
No cat spoke against his word. Instead, they started cheering. "Skypaw! Sunpaw! Skypaw! Sunpaw!"  
The only four cats that called my name was Tangleclaw, Snowheart, Skypaw and Ashpaw, but the young apprentice was embarrassed as his mentor tried to get the other cats to say it.  
Cloudstar shot a sad glance in my direction. I shrugged, it would be fine, it was always like this. I hung my head as grief swept over me, I tried to hide it, but the weight was too heavy on my shoulders. Skypaw trotted over and gave me a comforting lick on my ear. I knew he would be there for me if I needed him.  
Skypaw and I left the crowd of cats that were breaking up into smaller groups and we approached the apprentices den where we would sleep from now on until we were warriors.  
When I padded into the den behind Skypaw, Sunpaw ignored me completely, not even glancing at me as she left to go to the Medicine Cat Den. Tinpaw gave me a curt nod because his mother did not hate like the others, he also wasn't like the others Tinpaw headed to the edge of the den to sleep, Ashpaw was jumping all over the place, excited that I was now an apprentice. I made a nest out of moss and curled up in it, the last thing I knew, Skypaw was coming making his nest beside me and I fell asleep.


	3. Love, Life, Death, Hatred

Chapter 2- Love, Life, Death, Hatred

"_Death is another life in itself"_

* * *

"Fire will save all," I heard a voice in my head. There was a sudden image of darkness shrouding four symbols that were too dark for me to see. Vines were in the darkness, helping it trap the symbols from sight. Suddenly, a fire came up and the darkness began to disperse. A dawning light appeared behind the vines and in a flash, the dawn light faded, leaving only wisps.  
The vines lashed out in surprise and destroyed the returning darkness. The fire leaped for the sky in the middle of it all, surrounded by ice, lilies, clovers, a soft wisp of clouds and a single moon and sun above it all. The symbols came into view at last; the first was a cat with a lightning bolt scored across the middle. The second was a cat with a semicircle for a mouth and two more as eyes. The third was a cat with a wind-like shape in the middle. And the last one was a cat with two waves from left to right, like a river.  
"These symbols. They're the symbols for the four clans," a new voice spoke. "Tangled vines will destroy the darkness as dawn's light fades, leaving only the future. The amber fire will save all, the chosen eight will triumph over the darkness. Twilight lifts, ice freezes, clovers rise, lilies scatter, the sun soars, soft wisps flutter, dawn fades, and the fire will blaze. Eight are chosen... But only seven will live."  
"Amberpaw," I heard a voice.  
"Remember," the voice spoke. "Eight are chosen. But only seven will live."  
The voice began to fade. "Wait!" I yowled. "Come back! What do you mean!?"  
"Amberpaw!" something prodded me in the side. "Wake up!"  
My eyes shot open and I leaped to my feet, my fur bristling, my claws unsheathed. I breathed with relief when I realized that I was back in the apprentices den, Skypaw was there, looking worried. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You were thrashing around in your sleep..."  
"I'm okay," I sighed. "It was just a dream."  
"Dream?" he tilted his head. "Like what?"  
"Never mind," I shook my head.  
Just as my fur was beginning to lie flat, it puffed out when a loud screech made me jump.  
Skypaw and I ran out of the den and out of camp, following the sound of the screech. We found her in the forest, it was Streamfur. She wouldn't move her gaze away from what she was looking at to turn and see who approached her.  
"Move aside," Cloudstar ordered as the rest of the clan came racing out and gathered around, me and Skypaw couldn't see.  
All we heard was loud gasps rippling through the clan. What was going on!?  
"Good riddance," I heard a tom whisper. "Now we just need the other one dead."  
Was someone dead?! One of our clanmates... dead? Surely no cat would say that about a fellow clanmate...  
"Everyone, back to camp," Cloudstar hissed in anger.  
Skypaw and I turned to leave with the rest of the clan, they shot me glares as they shouldered past me.  
"Amberpaw, you stay. Snowheart, Ashpaw, you too," Cloudstar said and the three of us stopped.  
Skypaw looked at me and gave me a quick lick on the ear.  
"Skypaw, you can stay," Cloudstar added. "Amberpaw might need you."  
I was confused. I might need him? Why? What happened?  
The four of us padded back to where Cloudstar sat, facing whatever it was. The first thing I saw was the charcoal colored fur and my heart began to race.  
"No..." I whispered and shook my head. "Not him..."  
In front of me was Tangleclaw, his body limp, unmoving. He was dead. On his paws were the stains of berries; Deathberries. They were scattered all around him, his eyes were dull, no life left in them.  
My legs gave way beneath me and I fell to the ground in front of him. "Tangleclaw, wake up," I tried. But his body didn't budge. "Tangleclaw, stop joking around!" my voice was getting louder.  
The body looked like it moved a little, I think. Was he really playing around? But there was no more movement, his body was still. I must have imagined it. Was he really dead? Did he really eat those Deathberries to find be free of the hatred cast upon him because of our mother? Why?  
"Amberpaw," Cloudstar whispered.  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screeched. "TANGLECLAW! I DON'T WANT YOU TO PLAY ANYMORE!"  
There was no movement. Cloudstar nodded and led Snowheart and Ashpaw away, the two of them struck by grief. Skypaw stayed by me, his eyes dull with grief as well.  
"Tangleclaw, wake up, please wake up," I whispered, reaching a forepaw out to touch his, but there was still no movement. "I can't deal with this pain, this hatred... I can't deal with it alone. I can't, I just can't. I'm not strong enough..."  
I looked at Tangleclaw's body, praying to Starclan that he was still alive.  
"Please! Why are you doing this!?" I raised my voice, desperation creeping in. "Please! I beg you, Tangleclaw, open your eyes! Open them and say this is all a joke, please! Ha ha ha, see it's funny," I begged with a strained laugh.  
I saw no movement, I heard no reply. This was no joke, this was no game. Tangleclaw had eaten those Deathberries, he was really gone...  
"TANGLECLAW!" I threw my head back and yowled to the sky as loud as I could.  
I couldn't carry this burden by myself. All the hate, all the glares... Why couldn't Tangleclaw have taken me with him!? I felt that my life no longer had meaning, I had lost my only remaining kin, and now there was no one able to stop the heartache of my burden. No one left that could really understand what I was going through. No one left that could stop me from breaking down in front of the whole clan. Why couldn't I die right now? Maybe if I ate one of those Deathberries...  
Suddenly, Skypaw nudged me to my feet and began to herd me away from Tangleclaw's body. His blue eyes were troubled. "Amberpaw, I know what you're thinking, so please don't. I don't want you to die. Please don't try and kill yourself."  
"I'm fine, Skypaw," I tried to purr, but it cut off. "Really..."  
"You don't have to act strong. It's okay to be sad, any cat would be because of what happened..." he told me.  
That did it for me. A string inside snapped, I couldn't hold it back any more. My legs buckled and I fell to the ground, my face buried in my paws. Tangleclaw was gone, he wasn't coming back. I lost him.  
I let out all my grief, for Tangleclaw, for myself, for the glares, the beatings and the directed hate. I let out everything that I had held in, everything I never truly wanted to show weakness in. Before I knew it, it was getting dark.  
I forced myself to my paws and I turned around, beginning to pad back to my brother's body and say my last farewell. But when I got there, the leaves where in a different position, like someone had stepped on them. And where Tangleclaw's body had laid... he wasn't there anymore, he was gone.  
"Skypaw?" I looked over my shoulder at him.  
"Yes?" he asked.  
"Did Cloudstar or Snowheart come and get Tangleclaw's body?" I asked worriedly.  
"Um, no. No one passed us," he replied, starting to pad over to me. "Why?"  
"He's gone," I murmured, shocked.  
"The body can't just get up and walk away," he replied and reached me, staring in shock to see Tangleclaw gone.  
We slowly looked at each other and in that same heartbeat, we spun around and raced back to camp, running like a hoard of badgers were right on our tails!  
"Cloudstar!" we howled when we reached camp and skidded to a stop in the clearing.  
He came out of his den and approached us, many of the clan turned and looked in our direction questioningly.  
"What has happened?" he asked calmly.  
"Tangleclaw's body is gone!" I yelled.  
Cloudstar looked at me as if I had just turned into a hedgehog and started flying! He saw the seriousness in my eyes and he began barking out orders.  
"Willowheart, gather up two patrols, three cats in each. We're looking for Tangleclaw's missing body," he ordered.  
Willowheart looked at his leader as if he had gone crazy, but he knew better than to defy orders. He raced off the gather more cats.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"It seemed like your plan worked out," a dark figure spoke in the dim light of the cave.  
"Yeah, but now I have to wash this scent away," another figure replied.  
"Any regrets?" the first one asked.  
"Just two... Two she-cats who are special to me," the second one sighed.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Sorry, Cloudstar, but we didn't find anything," Willowheart bowed his head.  
Grief washed over me and I hung my head, starting across the clearing to the apprentices den.  
Sunpaw came out just as I reached the den. "I don't see what's the big deal. My mum said he's a freak and shouldn't have been born in the first place. But she said the same thing about you as well."  
Rage boiled up in my and I was about to strike the smug apprentice, but Skypaw shot out of the den and held me back.  
"Why?" I growled. "Why does everyone hate me so much? What did I _ever_ do to you!? The glares, the hate, the beatings. You don't even care that one of your own clanmates is dead!"  
Sunpaw looked at me, her eyes wide with shock.  
"You always had such a good life," I growled, my body shaking with fury. "Do you know what harshness is really like? While you had a warm mother to be by in leaf-bare, I had to huddle to myself, trying to keep out the cold. I had no mother, or a father. All I had was my brother, and now he's gone! What pain have you ever gone through? Hunger, is that it? Have you ever been hit by your own clanmates? Given wounds before you were able to walk? Having kits younger than you that hate you? No, because you've never had to go through that. Why? Why is this clan so _stereotypical_!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"  
Sunpaw looked at me, her eyes full of wonder. She would never know what I had endured, because nobody hated _her_! I turned and raced off into the forest.  
Loneliness swept over me as I ran through the forest, I was all by myself now, I had to fend for myself now. There was nothing I could do to stop my clan from hating me.  
I heard a rush of pawsteps behind me and I skidded to a stop and spun around. The other cat stopped to and I recognized Sunpaw.  
"What do you want?" I hissed, my voice thick with venom.  
"I... I want to say sorry," she murmured. "Ever since I was a kit, my mother always told me bad things about you and Tangleclaw. I believed her, but I never thought about how hard it was for you..."  
I blinked at her.  
"I want to be a Medicine Cat of Riverclan," she continued. "And my job is to treat all cats fairly, even if they are outside the warrior code, from a rival clan, or if nobody cares about them. But I had never taken that in, I had never thought about it. But it applies to you. I'm really sorry for what I've done to you, Amberpaw... Can we... start over?"  
I looked into her eyes, she truly meant what she said. And who was I to pass up the chance to have another cat on my side who didn't hate me like the others?  
I bowed my head. "Thank you so much, Sunpaw."  
She stepped forward and licked my head in a show of our new friendship, I returned the gesture and we padded back to camp where Skypaw would be waiting worriedly.  
When we returned, all the apprentices were asleep, even Skypaw.  
"I'll see you tomorrow," Sunpaw murmured and headed over to Snowheart's den where she slept. I entered the den and curled up beside Skypaw.  
I pushed back all the bad memories of today to the back of my mind. In Riverclan with Skypaw, Ashpaw, Cloudstar, Snowheart and now Sunpaw, my spirits began to rise. Maybe my life wasn't as bad as I thought. Maybe I could see past all the glares, all the hatred, all the beatings. Maybe I could see past it all and see only those who cared about me, the cats that would help me become a strong and loyal warrior to prove the others wrong.  
_I hope Tangleclaw is truly happy now_, I thought. _I hope Starclan don't shun him like Riverclan did_. Before I knew it, my eyes drooped and sleep took over me.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Cloudstar, Starclan have sent me a prophecy. But I don't know what it means."  
Cloudstar sat up in his mossy nest. "Snowheart, tell me. What did they say?"  
"They said; _Vine and fire together will vanquish the darkness_," Snowheart replied. "But I can't figure it out. What could it mean?"  
"I am not sure," Cloudstar shook his head. "You of all cats know that Starclan do not like to give much away. We need faith and courage to help us. Whatever this prophecy is, we'll face it just like we would face a battle."  
"I hope you're right, Cloudstar," Snowheart sighed.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"You are destined to help the chosen one."  
Cloverpaw awoke with a start. "What was _that_!?" she hissed under he breath.  
_The vines, the light, the lilies, all of it_, she thought. _What could it mean_?  
"Just a nightmare," she concluded to herself.  
"Shut up!" one of her denmates, Twilightpaw growled. But to Cloverpaw's surprise, his eyes were full of a shining mystery of unknown, he was half dazed, half startled. Could he have had the same dream?  
But instead of asking questions, she decided to leave it until the morning. They both put their heads back down and fell into a deep sleep.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Dawn fades, but you will help the blazing fire."  
"Wait! Come back!" Dawnpaw whispered as the images faded and she awoke in the Medicine Cat Den. "I'm just a Medicine Cat Apprentice... Could this be my first sign from Starclan? The tangled vines... Starclan, I hope you're okay..."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"The lilies scatter, but you will help the blazing fire."  
Lilypaw moved back and forth in her tight spot in the Windclan apprentice den.  
_That was one weird dream_, she thought.  
"Stop moving!" Icepaw grumbled beside her.  
Both of the cats were edgy, Icepaw looked like he had had a dream as well. Lilypaw shivered, unsure of whether it was just the cold, or if her instincts were right and something bad was coming to the forest.  
_Starclan_, she thought. _What do you want me to do_?

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"The soft wisps flutter but you will help the chosen one."  
Thump!  
Softpaw woke with a jolt. _I knew Medicine Cats received dreams from Starclan_, she thought. _But why send one to me? Was it even a prophecy of some kind? I don't know... I will help the chosen one... What does that mean_?

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"The sun soars, but you will help the chosen one."  
Sunpaw awoke with a start, breathing deeply to try and control her shock. _What was that_? She thought. _Was it a message from Starclan? Are they trying to tell me something_?  
She sighed. The dream pushed its way to the back of her mind, and then all she could think about was Amberpaw and how disgusted she was with herself to have been so cruel to her._  
I was such mouse-brain_, she thought. _And from now on, I treat Amberpaw with kindness. There is nothing wrong with her, she doesn't deserve to be hated, she's done nothing wrong. She's a good cat. Starting tomorrow, Amberpaw is my friend_.


End file.
